April 30, 2016

All
winter long I’ve been basking in the wonderful taste and nutritional value of
the striking blood oranges.And even
though spring is well upon us, I’ve been lucky enough to still get my hands on
them at the grocery store.Now, the real
magic happens when you marry blood oranges with yogurt and chia seeds to create
an exceptional and lip-smacking treat that you’ll crave every morning.Yes, we’re talking breakfast and the best
part about this breakfast is that this Blood
OrangeChia Pudding is a no-cook silky pudding that you whip up the night
before.

People
have been going gaga over chia seeds for a long while now and I have been on
the chia bandwagon myself.Truth is, with
all the nutritional benefits of fiber and omega-3s that they pack they are hard
to ignore.Plus, once drowned in the velvety
blood orange juice and yogurt mixture, these chia seeds plump up and turn into
tiny fat bubbles that burst onto your tongue and crack under your teeth. As Giada de Laurentiis noted in her cookbook,
they do remind you of tapioca pearls, which I happen to adore, but even if you’re
not a tapioca fan, this Blood
OrangeChia Pudding will convert you into a chia lover in no time.

Although
it might look like one while sporting a beautiful pale pink hue, this pudding is
more than just a flavored, textured yogurt.It is a smooth, pleasantly thick, creamy, tangy, citrusy and sweet
pudding with a lovely somewhat bubbly texture that provides a substantial and
filling breakfast in a tiny serving.Top
it with bright fruit and toasted pistachios and you’ve created the breakfast of
champions.

In
addition, this Chia Pudding is quite versatile.While I love the blood orange version, Giada offers a recipe that calls
for vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk instead of orange juice.So, you can definitely replace the blood orange
juice with almond milk and still end up with a phenomenal and slightly creamier
concoction.Enjoy!

Blood OrangeChia Pudding

Adapted
from Bon Appétit (February 2016)

Makes:
2 servings

Ingredients:

·½ cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)

·½ cup fresh blood orange juice

·2 Tablespoons honey or agave nectar or maple
syrup (whichever you prefer or have on hand)

·1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·Pinch of salt

·¼ cup chia seeds

·Blood orange segments or blueberries or any
other fruit you like

·Chopped pistachios or sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions:

In a
medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, blood orange juice, honey, vanilla and
salt.Whisk in the chia seeds.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill
for 8 to 24 hours. When you’re ready to
eat the pudding, stir the pudding and divide it between small bowls or glasses.I, however, recommend that you divide the
mixture between small bowls and glasses, cover them with plastic wrap and then chill
for up to 24 hours.That way, come
morning, I only have to grab one of the glasses from the fridge, stir, top the
pudding with fruit and nuts and enjoy.

Before
serving, layer the pudding with some orange segments (or other fruit you
prefer).Top with the chopped pistachios
and remaining orange segments.Drizzle
with more honey if desired and serve.

Note: To top the pudding
with orange segments, cut the peel and white pith from 2 blood oranges.How to do that: cut a slice off the top and
bottom of the orange, making sure you cut just past the pith to expose the
fruit underneath.Stand the orange
upright on a cut end.Following the
curve of the fruit, use a small knife to slice away the peel and pith.Working over a bowl, cut along either side of
membranes to release the segments.